Commercial mortgage brokers are constantly asking themselves if they should ask their clients for an exclusive relationship or go the “easier route” and secure a non exclusive fee agreement. What’s the difference? What’s the pros and con’s of both? That’s the point of this brief article.

An exclusive relationship within the commercial mortgage field can be thought of as a listing agreement within the real estate brokerage side of the business. Or more specifically the exclusive agreement should be thought of as a tenant representation agreement for those that are familiar with that agreement.

Essentially the exclusive agreement states that the borrower agrees to work with the mortgage broker on an exclusive basis with shopping for lenders, negotiating term sheets and coordinating the processing and closing of the loan (among other legal issues I’m not qualified to discuss). The commercial mortgage broker is handling the whole transaction on behalf of the borrower and typically is looking out for the borrower interests. A non exclusive agreement still covers a lot of the same issues but gives the borrower the right to work with other lenders/ brokers. So there’s no guarantee that you’ll win the deal and or get paid.

The main advantage for the commercial mortgage broker to get an exclusive is that the borrower has committed to working with the broker, and at the end of the deal the broker will get paid. For those reading this article that have worked on deals for months with borrowers and to find out they lost it because of 10 basis points or slightly lower fees know how bad this can sting.

Most exclusive fee agreements cover a lot more than the exclusivity issue; retainers, expenses covered, minimum fees are some of the more important issues. For example having a borrower send you a thousand dollar retainer and a signed exclusive agreement says a lot; that he’s on board and going to work with you.

There are disadvantages though of going for an exclusive agreement. The obvious is that many borrowers simply will not want to sign off on this. It can be a hard sell. They’ll want you to “get them quotes” or “see what you can offer” first. Basically the borrower will want to keep total control and will only want to work with you if you can produce the best deal. So you stand to lose working on the deal if they don’t agree. You may know that perfect bank for the deal and or just want to work on it with the hopes of building a solid relationship along the way.

Also, YOU may not want to work on the deal on an exclusive basis. Believe me when I tell you that if your borrower agrees to a 5 page agreement and sends you a $1000 retainer, that they will want to get their money’s worth and are not going away. If they deal is weak and you find you can’t get it done, you’ll have to invest a lot more time into the deal than wanted and or break off the relationship and risk tarnishing your reputation.

So, unfortunately there’s no simple answer if you should go for an exclusive commercial mortgage broker fee agreement or not. But you should get you borrower to sign something that says you’re working with him and that you’ll get paid at close.

Niagara Falls or babbling brook. How is your flow? How do you get commercial mortgage clients in the door? Do you have the budget and time to undertake a massive marketing campaign? Could experience with multiple property types and applications increase your value to the commercial market? Where are your deals located? How is the market in your area? Is your referral network bringing you enough business? These are all questions you need to consider when you think about how to increase your deal flow.

Of course every commercial loan you work will not close; that is not the reality of the commercial mortgage industry. You need to be in front of the right people at the right time with the right solution to even be considered. Here are the 5 main factors that affect your deal flow which ultimately affects your cash flow. The first step is awareness; knowing what the issues are will allow you to determine a solution. Rate yourself in each of these areas:

-Referrals: Referrals are king in the mortgage industry. This is by far the number one way for a commercial broker to get business. This certainly works well for those that have been in the industry for years and have a large network, but what about those new to the industry? Can you survive waiting on someone to refer you when no one knows you exist?

-Marketing: This is how we let our potential clients know who we are and that we can provide them with a solution for their commercial financing needs. The problem is that there are hundreds of other solutions out there all competing for the same client. Without the budget and knowledge to do it right, it is very difficult to get a good return on your marketing investment.

-Expertise: What you know and how long you have been in the business has a dramatic affect on deal flow. Of course, those that have been in the commercial business for 10 years have a greater client base and referral network. You can’t buy experience, no matter how much you spend, but what you can get is training. Through continuing training, especially at the beginning of your commercial career, you can build the knowledge it takes to get the deals done. Share that knowledge with your potential clients and you have set yourself up as the expert in the field, despite your lack of experience.

-Geography: It is no surprise that by serving a larger geographic area, you will be exposed to more deals. However, without the support of a large national company this is very difficult and potentially cost prohibitive. The downside of most national commercial finance companies is that by bringing the deals to you they will expect something in return. Often a big chunk of your commission. It’s a catch 22, you get more clients, but now you need even more than before just to break even.

-The Market: Some markets are hot and some are cold that is the reality of the industry. If you are only serving a small geographic area and that area goes cold, what do you do? The key is to ensure that your client base is as diverse as possible, not only by location, but by property type and industry.
What to do?

Build your commercial finance business. Start by looking at the percentages that each of the above are contributing to your total deal flow and set targets for the coming year as to what you want the percentages to look like. For example, if referrals now make up 10 percent of your total business, set your targets for 20% next year and establish the game plan to do it.

For marketing, are you tracking a cost per closed loan? Do you know what you’re spending for the revenue you’re generating? Begin to cull out the sources that are not generating the returns you require.

When looking at geography, start to examine how you can expand the markets you serve. This will both increase your deal flow and minimize a downward movement in any one particular market. In effect, it is diversifying your portfolio. Look for a partner that can introduce you to new markets and provide you with lead sources into those markets.

In summary, deal flow in the commercial mortgage industry is driven by your presence. When the market knows you’re there and do quality work, your flow will build exponentially. The next step is to formulate your plan to increase that presence and identify the partners that can help you do it.

If you have a small business, you obviously envision it becoming a big and well established enterprise. As the business grows beyond city, country and continental borders, communication modes need to be upgraded. This is why as you nurture your business you have to think of the best way to cut traveling costs while maintaining a high level of productivity during business meetings.

In conventional business setting, designated employees would ideally travel across the world to make business deals or to attend conferences that would market the business. These business trips entail booking a hotel for accommodation, booking a meeting room, having transport arrangements to various meeting points, setting aside traveling allowances as well as organizing for meals for the traveling persons. We all agree that employees are bound to make fraudulent claims after a trip.

Some people misuse these business trips and turn them into their personal expeditions at the expense of their companies. Other employees turn the trips into a shopping spree. Monitoring the steps of your employees while they are away requires a lot of time and money thus many organizations would not think of spending funds to check on their employees whom they have sent away on business.

The best way to curb problems arising from traveling far to have meetings is to invest in a good online meeting room, with a powerful computer which can transmit multimedia. Have a web-cam, headsets if needed and install necessary software to support communication as the meeting goes on. It is also important to have a standby generator that ensures the meeting is not affected by power blackouts. With technology, you can link to your customers, suppliers and business partners at the comfort of your office.

In the long run, if you compare the money used to set up an online business meeting and that used to send staff to a physical meeting point, you will definitely settle for online meetings.